Writing tips 101: Starting out
Sometimes an idea comes to you at any given time, and you have a moment of zen. It doesn’t happen like that for most of us, and a lot of the time, we are at a loss for what to talk about. Maybe you’re brand new in the blogosphere and haven’t found your voice yet.
What to do?
Fear not, new blogging friends. I can help you figure this out.
Whatever topic you’re passionate about is going to be your niche, or community. If you’re unsure about what your niche should be, then do a little research. What you can do is a Google search for whatever topic blog. This should turn up some results to give you an idea about what certain bloggers are talking about within their communities. Also, you can do a Google BlogSearch, this is another helpful tool in finding out the dirt on a certain niche.
How professional do you want to be?
There’s something to think about for your future blog. Is this something that you’re going to show on your resume as writing experience? Are you blogging just for friends, family members, and the internet friends that you’re going to make? Answering those two questions will differentiate your writing style for your blog. If you’re planning on blogging for work, then you may want to use a different tone in your writing, using professional wording and excellent grammar. Don’t forget to use spellcheck, as well. If your blog is going toward the way of being something that will keep you connected with friends and family members, then slang is definitely accepted as well as “writing like you talk”.
Are you planning an exit strategy?
If it turns out to be a blog that you’re running to make a sale in the future, then you have to make sure the content is worth it. This type of blog may not have any certain kind of personality, but rather well-informed, nicely written, and educational content. These types of blogs are not likely to contain any personal stories or daily recaps of what went on at work the previous day.
Make sure you keep with the theme of your blog!
By keeping with the theme, I’m not referring to the design of your blog. I mean, keep the tagline along the same lines as the general content of your blog. If your blog has a funny undertone, then maybe a joke would work well as a tagline for you. We can sometimes underestimate the power of an awesome tagline. I started reading RichMinx’s site, mostly after having read “You had me at high yield”. That is an excellent example of a catchy tagline. Alongside the nice tagline is a picture of a minx. It all comes into play and works nicely together. Creating an online persona for your blog may be time consuming, but sooner or later, you will need to do that to gain a loyal readership.
Happy blogging and stay tuned for more helpful writing tips!
